The Princess is Gone

by EnderRain

Unknown Secrets of the Changeling Palace

What was Ava trying to say? It had been a full day and I was still standing here in my room, at a standstill of my hopefully new friends’ last words to me. I tried calling after her a couple times but she never looked back, she just entered into the room she had pointed to earlier and closed the door.

I might as well eat, I ask the guards, and they deliver just some simple pony food. I try to eat the sandwich in front of me, but after that episode with Ava; my stomach is upset. I have to go and talk to her. I get up and walked across the room to my closed door, there sitting under it was a piece of rough parchment, yellowed from age, clearly it’s been used and re-used many times. Sticking out from all the other faded messages was a note that said:

Midnight, 12:00 back left hoof corner of the pit.

-Ava Skyswirl

The note was indeed mysterious, almost overflowing me with questions. The most haunting thing so far though, was that the more I thought about it, the more Ava Skyswirl sounded like a familiar pony name. I had never met an Ava, I don't think so anyway…I climbed into the sack bed, thinking about things like ponies named Ava, and how I’ll get out of here.

I woke up to the sound of my name, and the rough vibrations of the sack bed shaking around. “I’m up! I’m up!” I called, the sack stopped shaking and opened up. The two changeling guards standing there.

“The Queen summons you.” One said.

I silently got up and followed the guards out into the hallway. We started walking through the corridors that end in the throne room, that by now I had memorized. Thanks to the holes in the walls I could tell that it was nighttime, I must have slept all day.

We arrived in the throne room, the large table covered in holes and green slime that was there at my last meeting with the queen was gone. In its place; a large black chair with spikes tipped with glowing blue orbs (much like the exterior of the castle) With Chrysalis atop the stool part. The Queen got up and walked over to us in the middle of the room. “Hello there, I see you got my summons. It’s time to discuss…things you’ll be doing here.”

“Like what kind of ‘things’?” I asked.

“Well, we can’t have a pony here forever. You need to be remedied…into something more like our kind. You have nowhere else to go anyways, but we’re running low on pony food…and we don’t exactly have deliverers knocking on our door. Besides; no one can do Twilight Sparkle like Twilight Sparkle. We were going to keep the pony you around for a while, but you know, minor details and complications. We’ll have to prepare something’s for the ritual. We’ll talk details after we make sure you can never leave. Dismissed.”

I was guided back to my room, judging by the color of the sky outside it was late. I used a simple spell all young unicorns learn in the beginning of their training. It tells you the time, the weather, the date, and where you are. It just now happened to be 11:30 at night, clear sky, humid, 68 degrees, and I was just outside the Swamp of New Horseleans.

Clearly Chrysalis wanted to change me into, well a changeling. I didn't know you could do that, it must take a lot of practice and power some kind of magic or potion or something! I just don’t want to be a changeling, oh I hope Ava has some ideas about it, something to help me.

Midnight rolled around and I was standing in the left backhoof corner of the Pit, waiting for Ava, when I heard a “Pssstt, Pssst…” A hoof appeared out of nowhere and I was pulled back into what looked like a solid wall seconds before, seemed to be as thins as paper, and soft as feathers, some kind of translucent portal. There were three changelings there when I popped out on the other side of the portal. It was a dank room, cold and dark, but large enough to fit at least ten ponies, it was made of the same smooth black rock as the rest of the castle.

“Welcome to the club,” an unfamiliar, male, clearly more pony than changeling voice said.

“Hi, I guess,” was my only answer.

“Twilight,” Ava’s voice came from the corner of the room, “These are some buddies of mine; Sunny Days,” She referred to the opposite corner of the room.

A small female “Hi,” was heard.

“And this is Cloud Chaser,” finished Ava.

“Hello, well, I would usually say nice to meet you, but given the circumstances…” I replied.

“Can I tell her already?” Cloud Chaser.

“No, I want to show her instead, now Twilight, you may want to sit down, this could come as a bit of a shock.” Answered Ava.

“Okay…” I sat down on the cold floor, looking expectantly up at the three.

“I’ll go first,” came Lucky Days’ voice from the corner, she walked up, a brief flash of light, and a sigh later, was a white female unicorn with a fiery red orange and yellow mane, standing in front of me. It felt like I knew her…from somewhere. Then Cloud Chaser got impatient, he walked up, stood next to Ava and Lucky days, and his changeling form turned into a grey Pegasus…with black hair. Ava changed last, and after she did, it all clicked. Standing in front of me were ponies that I knew, that I had talked to before. Sunny Days was a shopkeeper in PonyVille, Cloud Chaser worked with Rainbow Dash, and Ava...Ava was the nameless female guard that had left me here at this miserable Swamp.

“These were the forms we had before we sacrificed ourselves for the job. We were employed as spies, long ago. We were sent here to the changeling castle, under pretenses of banishment, like you. We were turned into changelings and left here to get our final assignments from Canterlot castle.” Explained Ava. “ Our job was to watch over you. Twilight, when you were born, your destiny was to save the world, not just to become a princess. It was prophesized long ago, back when King Lunar Eclipse and Queen Solar Flare ruled, that Chrysalis was going to gain much power; that she will soon attack, and it’s up to you to stop her.”

“But, I don’t understand, why was I exiled…?” I asked, totally confused, thoughts swirling through my brain, trying to fit the pieces together, but they just kept mashing up against each other. None of this made sense.

“Twilight, don’t you see? The whole thing was a set up, you were exiled on purpose! It was all part of the plan! The princesses saw the sings of Chrysalis’ attack, we were sent in to tell The old queen to come and get you. We made sure you were alone that day, we helped set the traps, just so that you wouldn’t cause so much damage, we were the ones who told you to kill the princesses who were already locked up and safe inside their castle, just so you could disappear and no one would think anything of it!” an impatient Cloud Chaser almost yelled.

So…so-you’re all in on this? This was a big elaborate trick to catch Chrysalis once and for all?” me in my dazed state asked.

“Yes. We couldn’t tell you because we knew you’d over think it, but it’s now or never.” Sunny Days said.

“Well, I guess we’ll need a plan, then won’t we?” I asked, finally coming out of the shocked stupor I was in moments ago.

“It’s all worked out. You need sleep first. It’ll take a while for the plan to kick in. You just go rest, and then meet us here, same time tomorrow.” were Ava’s words.

Author's Note:

Okay, So when I say "Cloud Chaser" I really mean a grown up Rumble, sorry if there was any confusion, I switched their names because really bronies, Rumble?
Oh and It's not "Lucky Days"it's "Sunny Days" sorry, it was like two in the morning and I got their names mixed up, I fixed it. PM Me and I'll show you their pony codes in General Zoi's pony Creator.

Comments

[J horse]

it's spelled 'friend' not 'freind'

[EnderRain]

4172977
Thank you, I will, don't worry!
4182730
Yeah, sorry, I do seem to get spelling errors, I'm the editor here at team EnderRain, and we haven't managed to get pre-readers yet. Thanks for pointing that out, I'll work on it!
-Dazzler Star, of team EnderRain

[Randominos]

Oooh Plot twist!

[Loeden]

The whole thing seems like Twilight getting the short end of the stick, really. Exiled from family, friends, and home without consent or explanation?

Heck with that. Cast them all down and rule them all, Twilight!